The 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby is fast approaching, and players are now officially throwing their hats in the ring for the highly anticipated event. This year’s competition is set to be broadcast live on Netflix from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 13, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET and the main event commencing at 8 p.m. ET.
Viewers can set a reminder on Netflix for the Derby, which is introducing a new element to its structure. The 2026 Derby will feature a brand new format, one that is expected to come with serious benefits for both the participants and the viewers alike.
Cardinals’ Jordan Walker Leading the Charge
Among the first players to commit to the competition is Jordan Walker of the Cardinals, a 24-year-old who debuted as a top prospect for the organisation in 2023. Walker experienced struggles through much of the last three seasons, but he is now putting it all together in a long-awaited breakout campaign.
Entering play on Thursday, Walker was slashing .294/.355/.534, along with 21 homers and an MLB-best 70 RBIs. His powerful bat is considered tailor-made for the Derby, evidenced by a 79.1 mph average bat speed that ranks him as the second fastest among qualified hitters.
Walker will aim to become the first Cardinal player to win the Home Run Derby. Albert Pujols, who was the organisation’s last Derby participant in 2022, holds the best Derby performance for a Cardinal, having finished as the runner-up in 2003.
Contreras, Caglianone, and Rice Set for Derby Debuts
Joining the field for his first appearance in the Home Run Derby is Willson Contreras of the Red Sox. The Red Sox slugger and now four-time All-Star has picked a good year to participate, having reached the 20-homer mark this season faster than ever before, doing so in just 87 games.
Contreras is currently on pace to smash his career high of 24 dingers, which was set in 2019. He entered Wednesday having hit four homers over his past 10 games, a stretch in which he has carried a 1.263 OPS. His team-high 20 homers, also entering Wednesday, were tied for the second-most among AL first basemen, while his .926 OPS – which would be a career high – ranked second among that group.
Jac Caglianone of the Royals, a first-round Draft pick just two years ago, has also committed to the event. In his second season, Caglianone has truly begun to showcase his impressive natural power. This was on full display during a five-game stretch in June, when he belted six homers with an average distance of 423 feet.
Caglianone becomes the sixth Royal to participate in the Home Run Derby. He follows in the footsteps of Bo Jackson (1989), Danny Tartabull (1991), Mike Moustakas (2017), Salvador Perez (2021), and Bobby Witt Jr. (2024), with Witt Jr. having had the most successful run of anyone in that quintet.
Ben Rice, a first-time All-Star in his third Major League season with the Yankees, will also make his inaugural Home Run Derby appearance in 2026. The 27-year-old, who splits time as a first baseman and designated hitter, has risen from being a 12th-round pick and only briefly-ranked prospect to become the centerpiece of New York’s lineup.
The field for the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby is taking shape, with the event promising a new format and live broadcast on Netflix from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. This story will be updated as more players join the competition.